QLD · Mackay Council
Finch Hatton, 4756
Current weather
16.4°CMainly clear
94% humidity · 1.7 km/h wind · 22.6° / 14.1° today · 0.1 mm rain
Desirability score
- Affordable
- Green space
- Regional
- Established
- Amenities
Suburb profile
In Mackay, Finch Hatton keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play.
The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and community and employment lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in parks and green space. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 531
- Median age
- 48
- Median household income / week
- $1,279
- Dwelling vacancy
- 12.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 28 of 226
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,415
- Employment rate
- 48.5%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 26 / 0 / 0
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 16
- Against the person
- 2
- Against property
- 6
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 30.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 266 residents
- State safety percentile
- 28.8th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +52%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences10
- Good Order Offences1
- Handling Stolen Goods2
- Traffic And Related Offences1
- Unlawful Use Of Motor Vehicle2
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 931
- Finch Hatton State SchoolPrimary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
3 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Creek Retreat Nature RefugeNature reserve
- Finch Hatton Mountain Bike ParkPark
- Lions ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 3/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Heritage
2 state heritage places
- Finch Hatton Railway StationState heritage place
- Finch Hatton War MemorialState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 6
- Parks (OSM)
- 6
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability index
- Desirability score
- 29.9/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5259th in Australia
- State rank
- 1215th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #312 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #721 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 66%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Drug Offencescrime10
- Good Order Offencescrime1
- Handling Stolen Goodscrime2
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime1
- Unlawful Use Of Motor Vehiclecrime2
- Finch Hatton Railway StationheritageState heritage place
- Finch Hatton War MemorialheritageState heritage place
- Creek Retreat Nature Refugegovernmentnature_reserve
- Finch Hatton Mountain Bike Parkgovernmentpark
- Lions Parkgovernmentpark
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
Similar suburbs
Suburbs with a similar population, SEIFA decile and location.